Selene Cochrane – Small Object Spaces: Familiar

An exploration of the symbiotic connection between human and animal.

Selene Cochrane

Presented by artisan & Metro Arts

Dates

13 Nov - 20 Dec 2026

Galleries

Window Gallery

Opening Night

Opening Night and Artist Talk: Friday 13 November, 5:30-7:00pm

HOURS

The Window Gallery is viewable from our Laneway at West Village, 24/7.

About

Cochrane’s new work Familiar continues her exploration of the symbiotic connection between human and animal. Drawn to what is strange and beautiful, she uses thread and fabric to mimic fur, feathers, flesh and antlers, creating richly textured surfaces that evoke a sense of mystery. These tactile elements blur the line between the earthly and the mystical, dissolving distinctions between human and animal, dream and waking, life and afterlife. Guided by the idea that animals can reflect hidden aspects of the self, creatures become literal vessels for the primal, instinctive and hidden aspects of human nature, revealing both creative and destructive forces that reside beneath the surface.

About Small Object Spaces

Centered around intimacy, tactility and the quiet presence of everyday materials, artisan‘s small object exhibition series brings together Queensland based artists working across textiles, ceramics and object based practices. Small scale invites us to slow down looking where crafted detail and process hold focus. Within West End’s layered cultural context, the works reflects on memory, emotion and material sensitivity inviting audiences to consider how meaning can be held, handled and felt through carefully made forms.

Presented in partnership with artisan

Drawing from her background as a former Queensland Ballet costumier, Selene Cochrane creates intricate textile works that explore the complex intersection of beauty and pain, surface and depth. Her meticulously crafted pieces merge costume design with sculptural textiles to create immersive works that speak to personal transformation and inner truth. Through recurring esoteric symbols and fantastical elements, Cochrane invites viewers to contemplate their own hidden depths, while her precise attention to decorative detail serves as a counterpoint to darker, more contemplative themes.

INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE

Selene Cochrane in her studio, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist.

artisan Creative Assistant – Curatorial

artisan Creative Program Coordinator

Acknowledgements

Image Credit: Pamthony (detail), Selene Cockrane. Image courtesy of the artist.

Metro Arts’ 2026 program is supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its funding and advisory body. Metro Arts is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Visual Art, Craft and Design Framework, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments.

artisan is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Visual Art, Craft and Design Framework, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments; by Creative Australia, through the Australian Cultural Fund; and The Tim Fairfax Foundation.